This invention relates generally to a tube or hose connector and, more particularly, to a connector for coupling a hose made of rubber or other resiliently flexible material to either a metal tube or to another rubber hose.
The connector of the present invention has many applications. It has been specifically designed, however, for use in the harness of a vehicle air conditioning system. As originally manufactured, air conditioning harnesses have several metal tube-to-rubber hose connections which are formed by placing a metal sleeve over the hose, by telescoping the hose onto the tube, and by crimping the sleeve to secure the hose to the tube. As a result of vibration of the vehicle during use, the crimped connections experience a relatively short service life. As leaks occur, the air conditioning system must be periodically recharged with refrigerant in order to keep the system functional. Leaking refrigerant not only increases maintenance costs but also contaminates the atmosphere and depletes the ozone layer. When a leak becomes severe, the entire refrigerant harness must be replaced in most vehicles. Such replacement is expensive and leads to disposal of the old harness in landfills or the like.
United States Environmental Protection Agency regulations preclude the recharging of air conditioning systems with existing commonly used refrigerant (e.g., freon R12) after 1994. In order to accommodate an approved refrigerant (e.g., R134a), the entire air conditioning system, including the compressor, of older model cars, must be replaced if the system leaks to such an extent as to require recharging.